Plastic is ubiquitous. It is used to package and hold our food and drink. Plastic bags are used routinely for groceries and other forms of shopping. Plastic bags are commonly used as a disposable item and are highly likely to be discarded after an initial use.

Plastic bags can take up to 1000 years to breakdown yet Zealand’s total plastic bag consumption is up to an estimated 1.4 billion plastic shopping bags per year. Much of this plastic can end up in our environment causing negative impacts on wildlife, livestock, and marine life. There is also the aesthetic disruption on our beautiful land and coastline. The impacts of our plastic use contribute to the increased demand on the worlds decreasing petroleum resources, and cost us millions in clean up costs every year. They can even end up in the food chain and find their way back to us.

You can help make a difference by letting the owners of the major supermarket brands in New Zealand know that use of plastic shopping bags should be actively reduced by introducing a levy when used at checkouts.

Information Resources:

Plastic Debris in the World's Oceans​

PLASTIC SHOPPING BAGS:
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND POLICY OPTIONS

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